Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)

Key Stage 3 (Years 7 and 8)

Throughout Year 7, 8 students learn topical vocabulary with basic structures and tenses, which is delivered through rich and authentic material such as films, songs, literature and poems. The use of ICT is also of key importance in our department both for research tasks, and for developing grammatical skills through various pieces of software that we use.

Our students continuously work on improving listening, reading, speaking and writing skills. Students will be formally assessed in all four skills at the end of each term during MFL Exam Week. They will be assessed on the previous two units of learning and will have an exam on each of the 4 skills divided equally across the units.

The teaching and learning of MFL regularly make links to other areas of the School Curriculum such as English, geography, mathematics, food technology and personal development.

The topics that students study per year is as follows:

Year 7:

Classroom language, personal information, physical appearance

Nationalities and the wider world

Personality, family relationship and school subjects

Food and international cooking projects

Local area

Free time (hobbies and what you do in your free time)

Year 8:

Lifestyle, clothes and fashion shows

Holidays and dream destinations.

Sport, leisure and health

Daily life and issues in Francophone/ Hispanic countries

International festivals and holidays

Independent Research Projects

Key Stage 4 (Years 9, 10 and 11) /GCSE/GCSE Equivalent

French AQA GCSE 8658

Spanish AQA GCSE 8698

We offer GCSE in French and Spanish which help students to develop their language skills in a variety of contexts, with a broad understanding of the culture of countries and communities where the language is spoken. It encourages enjoyment of language learning and the recognition that language skills enable students to take their place in a multi-lingual global society.

Our students continuously work on improving listening, reading, speaking and writing skills. Students will be formally assessed in all four skills in a GCSE style at the end of each term during MFL Exam Week. They will be assessed on the previous two units of learning and will have an exam on each of the 4 skills divided equally across the units.

This four-skilled specification requires students to develop their ability to read, listen, write and speak confidently in the foreign language. This qualification counts towards the English Baccalaureate.

Students study all of the following themes on which the assessments are based.

Theme 1: Identity and Culture

Theme 2: Local, national and global areas of interest

Theme 3: Current and future study and employment

The GSCE has a Foundation Tier (grades 1–5) and a Higher Tier (grades 4–9). Students must take all four question papers at the same tier. All question papers must be taken in the same series.

Paper 1 Listening: Understanding and responding to different types of spoken language

Written exam: 35 minutes (Foundation Tier), 45 minutes (Higher Tier)

40 marks (Foundation Tier), 50 marks (Higher Tier)

25% of GCSE

Paper 2 Speaking: Communicating and interacting effectively in speech for a variety of purposes

Non-exam assessment

7–9 minutes (Foundation Tier) + preparation time

10–12 minutes (Higher Tier) + preparation time

60 marks (for each of Foundation Tier and Higher Tier)

25% of GCSE

Paper 3 Reading: Understanding and responding to different types of written language

Written exam: 45 minutes (Foundation Tier), 1 hour (Higher Tier)

60 marks (for each of Foundation Tier and Higher Tier)

25% of GCSE

Paper 4 Writing: Communicating effectively in writing for a variety of purposes

A Level languages are where the real fun begins. By this time students will already have a solid understanding of the basics and can start to branch out into many new exciting and interesting topics and discussions.

Not only is the course extremely interesting, rich and engaging, it is also an incredibly useful A level in terms of employability. Having an A level language qualification on your CV shows any employer great commitment and an impressive level of ability.

There are many courses around the UK where you can study towards a Single Honours degree in French. The majority of these courses involve a year studying in France or another French-speaking country, which is a fantastic opportunity both for educational and personal reasons.

Likewise there are many courses where you can take a language in addition to another subject such as Law or a second and sometimes even a third language such as Spanish and German.

Course outline:

This qualification is linear and all examinations will take place at the end of year 13. However, students will be regularly assessed in class and will complete formal internal examinations in Year 12.

Core content

Social issues and trends

Political and artistic culture

Grammar

You will get the opportunity to study either one text and one film or two texts.

Either one question in French on a set text from a choice of two questions and one question in French on a set film from a choice of two questions or two questions in French on set texts from a choice of two questions on each text.

Individual research project covering one of four sub-themes ie, Aspects of French-speaking society: current trends, Aspects of French-speaking society: current issues, Artistic culture in the French-speaking world, Aspects of political life in the French-speaking world.

Discussion of a sub-theme with the discussion based on a stimulus card (5–6 minutes). The student studies the card for 5 minutes at the start of the test (25 marks).